1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for a releasable electrical connection of a contact pin with a sheet metal component.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In most cases, sheet metal components, such as used as housing elements for electrical devices, require electrical contacts. In this context they are used, for example, as grounding contacts or electrostatic discharge (ESD) contacts. In this case the grounding contacts, in particular as a safety-relevant device, must be laid out for sufficiently high current strengths, along with a good electrical contact over the service life of the device. Many options are thus known, for example via screw connections, via screwed-on, soldered-on or welded-on plug-in connections, or via pressed-on or riveted-on contact elements. Most of these connections are used for the housing element with a cable.
The electrical connection of a front element, which is capable of electrically conducting, of an electrical printed circuit board with the guide rail and the transverse connecting rails of a component support by a centering contact element is described in PCT International Application WO 00/28799. In the publication, a structural system for electrical printed circuit boards is described for this purpose and has a component support with installation locations for inserting electrical printed circuit boards. Here, oppositely located transverse guide rails made of an electrically conducting material are used and receive with guide rails for the insertion of printed circuit boards into installation locations. The guide rails have a holding device for the reception of a receiving contact element made of an electrically conducting material, which can be brought into contact with a transverse connecting rail in a low-impedance manner. The receiving contact element has a contact area to which an electrically conducting front element can be connected. The front element has a centering contact element, which protrudes in a direction toward the insertion side of the component support which, when a front element is placed on an installation location, can be brought into contact with the contact area of the receiving contact element in an electrically low-impedance manner and with high current-carrying capability. In this case, it is possible to integrate a retaining spring into the receiving contact element as an additional contact means between the centering contact element and the receiving contact element.
Because of required structural elements, this system is very elaborate and cost-intensive in regard to the production of the components and the mounting of the elements. The complexly shaped receiving contact elements require cost-intensive special tools for their production, which permit a cost-effective manufacture only with very large numbers of pieces. Providing contacts for receiving systems for printed circuit boards, in which the bottom and cover elements already contain the guide rails for the special components, is not possible with the proposed system.